Or maybe OSNews is just trying to raise the (apparent) mental age of its contributors. It does similar things with expletives, and I agree with their decision to do so. This is supposed to be a serious technical news site; you would expect people to be mature enough to not cuss or use infantile abbreviations like M-Dollar for Microsoft.

While I fully agree with your point that M-Dollar is somewhat childish, and personally refrain to use this abbreviation, I am also concerned about this: you have a *right* to be childish every now and then, M-Dollar is a clear sign of what a person thinks of Microsoft, and that person is entitled to expressing his ideas, all the more so if it's in an innocuos form. Moreover, if the overall tone of the comment is infantile or annoying there's already a user-regulation method (scores) to moved it down where more exigent users won't see it.

I really don't think automated censorship is the way to go, at least in this case.

Agreed, but the editor of this page has all rights to not wanting to see M-dollar on his/her/their pages, and as such can remove theese at will.

Also in §4 in the terms of use, it says:
"
Do not post comments that merely disparage a particular OS or company. Some examples of sentiments that are in violation of this rule: MS Sucks!, Apple is dead, people who use KDE should be shot, etc. If you hate Microsoft, or Apple, or Linux, you may still talk about your hatred at OSNews, but please do so with a reasoned, on-topic argument.
"

A serious technical news site does not mean censoring and/or manipulating the free expression of their readership. If you have a problem with spelling an acronym for a large software company with a dollar sign, maybe you have the impediment.